1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that records an image obtained by a medical apparatus such as an endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an endoscope is widely adopted in a medical field and the like. In recent years, improvement of image quality (high vision) of the endoscope has advanced, tissues in an abdominal cavity such as a peritoneum structure and a blood stream can be clearly visually recognized, and an endoscopic operation can be more safely and surely performed.
In a medical institution, a large number of modalities such as an endoscope, an X-ray, and an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus are sometimes combined to record various medical images such as an endoscopic image, an ultrasound image, and an X-ray image. In a conventional recording apparatus that records the medical images, data after the recording can be outputted in various forms according to uses. For example, during an operation, the medical images can be recorded in a semiconductor recording device such as a USB memory or an optical medium in a computer-editable format on a real-time basis. The medical images can also be recorded in the optical medium in a format reproducible by a general-purpose video player. Further, the medical images can be transferred to a server through a network and recorded to share data.
Incidentally, it is conceivable to use the medical images as medical images for backup such as evidence images for the purpose of recording a medical case and use the medical images as an educational material. For example, concerning an important dissection scene in the medical case, recorded images can be shared in a scientific society and an in-hospital conference and utilized for education of young doctors.
When the medical images are recorded as the medical images for backup, since it is necessary to record the entire medical case for a long time, recording at relatively low image quality is performed taking into account a recording capacity. On the other hand, when the medical case is recorded as the educational material, since the recorded images make it easy to observe the medical case, it is desirable to record the medical images at highest image quality as much as possible.
Therefore, in a conventional image recording apparatus, medical images can be recorded with an image size, a compression ratio, a format, and the like designated during recording of a medical case according to a purpose (see, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-86665).